TWO teenage schoolgirls who hid a pair of scissors used by a 14-year-old girl to stab a fellow pupil have walked free from court.

Judge John Crocker placed the 15 and 16-year-old under supervision orders on Friday for their role in the attack at Collingwood College. A jury at Guildford Crown Court in September had found the pair guilty of perverting the course of justice.

The Mail cannot identify the girls due to reporting restrictions put down because they are juveniles. However, it can now name Collingwood College as the school where the attack took place last November.

However, the court lifted an order preventing the naming of Natashia Jackman, 15, the victim attacked by a 14-year-old student with a pair of scissors during lunch break.

Natashia was stabbed in the eye, head and back and was nearly blinded.

Her attacker, who was convicted of wounding with intent but cannot be named, will be sentenced at a later date after a pre-sentence report has been compiled.

The court heard how the attack took place after a row broke out between the defendants and Natashia in the school canteen.

During the three-week trial the court heard from Natashia that she had been labelled a ‘metaller’ when she started the school, in Kingston Road, Camberley, because of her tastes in clothes and music.

She said she had been bullied as a result of this.

The court was told that in November last year Natashia heard the three defendants threatening to cut off her hair while they were all stood in the school canteen lunch queue.

After buying some food Natashia left the canteen and went to find her friends who were outside in the school playing fields.

The attacker and one of the co-defendants asked other children if they could borrow a pair of scissors, although they didn’t say what they wanted them for. A boy gave the defendants his scissors and the two girls walked across the field to Natashia.

The attacker asked her if she had anything to say.

The court was told that Natashia replied: “Other than the fact you’re pathetic whores”, the attacker threw her bag on the ground and ran at the teenager.

She stabbed Natashia several times and sliced through her left eyelid which required immediate surgery at Frimley Park Hospital.

After the attack, the girl who assaulted Natashia threw the scissors away but one of the co-defendants picked them up before handing them to the other defendant who promptly threw them over the fence which runs along the boundary of the school grounds.

Selwyn Shapirov, defending one of the girls, quoted a pre-sentence report which described the moment his client picked up the scissors and passed them to the second defendant.

“It was put beautifully when the author said ‘This was committed on impulse during a dramatic and chaotic situation, not realising the extent or the possible repercussions of her actions’.”

Martin Rutherford, representing the second defendant, summarised the evidence of the 30 child witnesses heard during the trial by saying his client had never been involved in any bullying.

He said she was a significant distance away from Miss Jackman when she was attacked and therefore had no influence on the attacker’s actions.

Mr Rutherford added: “She expressed immediate and genuine regret to Natashia Jackman about what had happened.”

Sentencing the two teenagers, who were aged 14 and 15 at the time of the attack, Judge Crocker said: “I have thought long and hard about what to do with you two because I would be perfectly justified in sending you to custody.

“I have read the reports with great care and take very much into account what I think… were snap decisions, but decisions nevertheless intended to pervert the course of justice by getting rid of the scissors.”

He gave them the 12-month supervision orders after accepting there was “another side to both of you”.

Natashia now lives in the USA where she will attend school for the foreseeable future. Her father Humperdink, made a brief statement outside the court after the two girls were sentenced.

He said: “We are very satis-fied that the three offenders have been found guilty and are very satisfied that Judge Crocker has made the correct decision.

“We’d also very much like to give our profound thanks to Surrey Police, particularly Detective Constable Nick Beer for a very diligent and thorough investigation, without which convictions would not have been possible.

“Also, we’d like to thank Surrey Victims Support Unit who have supported Natashia and my family.”

Collingwood College principal Jerry Oddie had previously been heavily criticised for remaining silent when faced with calls from the public to explain how such an attack could have happened on school grounds.

However, he has revealed he was ordered by Surrey County Council not to make any comment in case it should breach reporting restrictions and interfere with legal proceedings.

With two of the defendants sentenced Mr Oddie has defended his staff and school. See page 3 for our exclusive interview with the principal.